[DIY] 12 Pre-Planned Date Cards
Inspire & Indulge Update: I have officially joined the world of Facebook and Twitter with I&I specific accounts. I’d love for you to follow me! 🙂
After a brief hiatus during the month of January (c’mon, who didn’t need a break after the holidays?), the ladies of Collectively Creative are back! If you’re new to Inspire & Indulge, let me give you a quick summary. Kelly from Cobwebs, Cupcakes & Crayons formed the Collectively Creative project. The idea is that multiple bloggers choose one central topic and everyone publishes a post at the same time on the same day. It’s a great way to experience new bloggers and see related posts! At the bottom of this post, there are links to all of the others bloggers that are joining in on the Collectively Creative fun so be sure to check them out. 🙂
This month’s topic is The Lovey Dovey edition. Very appropriate with Valentine’s Day slowly creeping up, right? With love and romance in the air and on our minds, who’s not thinking about their significant other? If you don’t currently have a significant other, you can still daydream and plan the perfect date for that future special someone!
This is where I come in. I don’t know about you but it’s all too easy for Jon and I to fall into a comfortable routine and not really have any special date nights. For the most part, we’re both okay with this because we’re usually so busy that it’s nice to be low-key but on the other hand, sometimes it’s exciting to have an official planned date night to look forward to. But with a full-time job, working out, blogging, cooking, laundry, etc, it’s hard to find time to think of specific dates. Well, lucky you, I’ve done the leg-work for you for the next TWELVE months!
For our anniversary last month, I crafted 12 pre-planned date cards for Jon that I’m going to share with you. They guarantee that each month we’ll have something specific planned and we don’t have to have the following conversation:
Jon/Leah: “What do you want to do tonight?”
Leah/Jon: “I don’t care. What do you want to do tonight?”
I think we’ve all had a convo like that, right? Here are a few of my favorite cards that I made:
If you’d like to see pictures of any specific months, just let me know and I’d be happy to share them with you. I’m happy to give some scrapbooking ideas too. Alternatively, you could do a printed version like the one below. Here’s the full list:
Although I created this gift as an anniversary gift, it would be perfectly appropriate for a Valentine’s Day gift too! If you have any of your own date night ideas, please feel free to share them! Get creative. 😉
Don’t forget to check out the other Collectively Creative bloggers today! Feel free to contact me at LeahMC0612 [at] gmail [dot ] com if you’d like to participate in our collaboration in the future. 🙂
- I Love You More Than… – (Cobwebs, Cupcakes & Crayons)
- Heart To Heart – (Pillows A-La-Mode)
- Top Ten Romantic Movies of All Time – (The Thinking Closet)
- DIY Heart T-Shirt – (NorthStory)
- The Love Letters – (Mrs. And The Misc.)
- Valentine’s Day Bon Bon’s – (Happy Little Kiwi)
- Lovey Dovey School Lunch Ideas – (Time With Thea)
- Loving These Products – (Neaten Your Nest)
- Kniting Hearts – (Gentle Stitches)
- A little Lovie magic – (The Thing About Joan)
- Sending hugs – (Cul de Sac)
- Will You Be My Valentine? – (A Ponytail Kind Of Day)
- Love Languages – for adults and kids! – (My Healthy ‘Ohana)
- Give a Fortune of Love – (Green Door Hospitality)
inspireandindulge.wordpress.com 
They came out great, this is on my to do list !!
Thanks, Liz. I’d love to see how yours turn out since you’re so naturally crafty! 🙂
I love this! I told you Mike and I have been working on some pre-planned date nights as well, which I’m hoping to share soon. You’re right, it’s such a good way to ensure that you don’t fall into a pattern of doing the same thing. I love how you made little cards for each month. So sweet. Jon must have loved this gift! Thanks so much for sharing such a sweet idea with us for this month’s Collectively Creative. Xo
Thanks, Kelly. I’m super excited to see what you and Mike have come up with! I’m definitely going to start keeping a list of date night ideas so I never run out. 😉
Jon definitely loved this – He actually gave me a crafty homemade gift for our anniversary too and we didn’t even plan to both make gifts. I’ll be sharing it next week! It’s right up your craft-alley. 😉
This is such a great idea Leah!
(Quick question though — is there a particular reason that my blog and Collectively Creative post isn’t listed with the others??)
Kenley
Thanks, Kenley. Sorry again about your link. Glad we worked out the kinks though!
Oh, I LOVE this! Thank you for all the fun ideas, Leah!!!
Thanks, Katherine! This gift was fun to make, to give, and to receive!
LOVE! I am going to have to borrow my sister in laws cricut- SO cute!
Oooo, I’m jealous! I’ve never used one of those but I’ve heard amazing things. I hope you share how your date cards turn out as I’m sure they’ll look fantastic!
Ahhhh they’re even cuter than I imagined!!! LOVE the handmade cards and all the great date ideas–I will definitely be stealing some!! Erik better step his game up 😉 Jon is a lucky man to have such an awesome gf!!
Haha, thanks Erika! I’m really happy you’re going to “steal” some ideas. Let me know which ones you guys choose to do. I’ve already added some of your dates to my date night list (homemade artwork, dessert picnic, drive-in!).
P.S. I love that your names are Erik and Erika haha – especially that you both spell your names with K’s!
Oh how cute!!! Love this so much. It’s important to make time for these special moments… A month can go by so fast. I’m going to check out the other bloggers you featured here. Great idea! All of it.
-JulieC
Thanks, JulieC! You’re right – a month really can fly by. Plus it’s just really nice to have something scheduled in and then you can spend a few days looking forward to it. 🙂
I hope you found some new bloggers to follow – They’ve all got something really unique to share. If you’d like to participate in the next Collectively Creative, just let me know!
oh wow Leah! this is such a great idea!!! might stole this one 🙂 with 3 kids it’s difficult to come up with something and Movie theaters are now out of question since I’m having migraines when I go there 😦 you have lots of good ideas!
I agree with Josee, with kids it can get difficult! Thank you Leah for sharing this great idea, like Josee I might steal this one too and leave it in our kitchen where I can constantly be reminded of taking one day with my hub! Josee, I know what you mean, I suffer migraines and when I go to the movie theather it gets worst!
Excellent post! I’m “thirding” what Josée and Ingrid said: it’s hard to find time for just me and my husband and when we do schedule it in, we’re lost as to what to do (usually because there are so many things that we’ve talked about, it’s hard to choose one right that moment). I love this idea! Thanks so much — I now have my Valentine’s Day gift to S.
Yay, Joan! I’m really excited you’re going to make some date cards for your Valentine’s Day gift! Perhaps you can put them in your yearly card? 😉
I hope you share what dates you plan!
I would say bummer, but i don’t like to watch movies anyway lol!
Ingrid, I love your idea of putting a date night list in the kitchen where it can be seen frequently! That’s a great constant reminder to spend some quality time!
Awww, thank you Josee. So sorry to hear about your migraines at the movie theaters but there are TONS of better date ideas anyways. I like the movies (and Jon loves going) but you can’t really talk or bond during them! Let me know if you come up with any of your own date night ideas – I’m always looking to add to my list. 🙂
what a tremendous plan….must put on my to do list and perhaps do it digitally so i can send a reminder every month via email!
That’s a fantastic idea! That’d be such a fun way to share this gift – instead of a hard copy, send the card through e-mail each month. I’ll have to remember that in the future!
Ok I totally may just steal this if my Valentines gift for husband doesn’t work out. Reallllly great idea!
Thanks, Alex. I hope your original Valentine’s Day gift does work out but maybe you can make these for another special occassion (birthday, anniversary, etc)!
This is fabulous! I had wanted to do something similar as a Christmas gift for my husband, but ran out of time. However, it could be a GREAT Valentine’s gift as you suggest. And your date ideas are right up my alley. Fantastic! So happy to have “met” you through Collectively Creative this month.
Thank you – I’m so glad you liked this idea and that you were a part of Collectively Creative this month! I love your blog and look forward to future posts!
What a great idea. It would be a great anniversary gift too.
Thank you. Yes, I actually gave these date cards to my boyfriend for our two year anniversary. Luckily, our anniversary was in January so I had plenty of time to share this before Valentine’s Day. 🙂
This is such a delightful idea. When you have been married 32 years you have to make sure to stay active in the relationship and plan to spend time together. This is a great way to help with the intentional planning. ~Thea
Wow, 32 years – that’s awesome! I agree – It’s a great way to proactively engage in a relationship and plan ahead to spend 1-on-1 time. 🙂
What a fun idea! Having time together is so important. And a bit more challenging once you have kiddos. 😛 Last week we went skiing and while our twin girls were at ski school my husband and I were able to ski together just the two of us… such a treat! BTW, thanks for the follow… I love discovering new blogs and I am your newest blog follower and twitter follower! Stay in touch! 🙂
Aww, that’s great you and your husband had a chance to ski together and have some 1-on-1 time. I can imagine how crazy it must be to find that free time (especially with twins!).
I’m so happy to have come across your blog. You have some great stuff and I can’t wait to read future posts!
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My daughter is such a planner – I am not – however, now that we have a grandest son, I am going to make these for her Valentine Day present and it will include an overnight of baby sitting! Such a fabulous idea!
Oooo, an overnight of baby-sitting is a brilliant card and I’m sure it’ll be much appreciated! I love your idea of giving these as a non-romantic present. You just got me thinking about how they’d be great for kids too – like, “board game of your choice” or “you pick dessert” – the possibilities are endless!
That’s what I was thinking – and she would really cherish that. Of course at this point, they would probably just go home and sleep – but still, they would love it!
Leah, this is such a wonderful idea!! I can’t remember the last time Tim and I did something out of the norm. Other than going out to eat on Saturday, we’re just busy doing our own thing most of the time. I’m def a person who likes to plan in advance (I really want to be more spontaneous but I just don’t see it happening anytime soon) so this is perfect for me! Now onto coming up with some creative date night ideas 😉
Thanks, Min! I know – it’s so easy to get into a routine and not even notice (or even mind it) but it’s definitely fun to switch things up. I’m with you on planning in advance – I like to have my calendar planned as far in advance as possible. 🙂 Good luck coming up with your date night ideas – I’d love to hear about the ones you come up with!
Such a sweet idea!!
Thanks, Judy! I love that we’re all set for the next 12 months!
I love this idea!! It is hard to find time for just my husband and I so this might help. Love these posts.
Thanks, Julia. The great thing about these date night cards is that they feel like a commitment (in a good way). When you know you’ve got a specific date planned, it’s kind of already scheduled. Hope you and your husband get a chance to spend some 1-on-1 time!
I love this, Leah!! Patrick and I often have that conversation where we don’t know what to do, and then we end up *happily* doing nothing together, haha! But it would be nice to have something to look forward to each month. I love the idea of doing a food crawl…there are some places that I would love just to visit for dessert or just for drinks…I’m going to suggest that for our next date night, thanks for the inspiration!! Hope you and Jon have a wonderful Valentine’s day!
Thanks, Maura! I can’t tell you how many times Jon and I have had that convo about what to do. These preplanned dates are perfect because we don’t have to go back and forth about what we want to do – we’re already committed! I’m so happy to hear you picked up a little inspiration while reading this post. I’d love to hear about your food crawl experience and what Patrick thinks of it! Hope you both have a great Valentine’s Day as well. 🙂
I love this idea! It’s so cute too the way you made all of the cards. This would be a good project for me because I have about 2 truckloads of scrapbook supplies but I never get around to doing it. Making these 12 cards would be a manageable project. Love it!
Thanks, Erin! I’m totally with you – I have boxes and boxes full of scrapbooking supplies that I’ve been collecting for years. This little project is the perfect excuse to pull out all of that fun stuff. 🙂